The prison mirror. [volume] (Stillwater, Minn.) 1887-1894, 1887-09-28
JAIL LIFE.
EVIL Effects Of the COmminGlin@ of
NOViceS and Professionals.

EVIL Effects Of the COmminGlin@ of
NOvices and Professionals.
Editor of Mirror:
Having read great many articles in TIE
MIRROR on prison reform, would like to
give you a few of my personal expert
ences Judging from our population here
nearly so per cent Of the men sent to the
pententiary are under thirty years of age
and are serving their first term. The great
er portion of these men go out of prison
worse than when they came in-that is,
where young men and mere boys have to
associate with habitual criminals-and
this fact will be evident to any one whose
experience has been as broad as my own.
| have seen a number of young men since
my incarceration. arrested for their first
otfense. filled with remorse and good
resolutions, who were laughed out of their
scruples and nOcuIated with hatred Cor So
ciety. resistance of authority, and desire
for revenge for fancied wrongs. They go
into a jail comparatively novices and come
out of the penitentiary fully initiated into
the mysteries OF crime.
An inexperienced person could scarcely
imagine what an influence the hardened
criminal has over the susceptible youth.
They have nothing to do but sit around and
tell them big, fat stories about how men
rob banks, and buy fast horses and brown
'sthne fronts with the proceeds. No mis-
siOnary ever worked with more zeal and
more success. These stories are generally
suited to wild young man, who feels down
hearted and is ready to take hold of or lis
ten to anything to turn the dull hours
of jail lite into bliss. On the other hand,
if lie shows the least signs of penitence or a
desire to reform. he is invariably looked up
on with scorn and contempt by his compan-
ions. and called coward" So, while
this state of things exists, 1 say, brave is
the boy who spends from one month to one
year in Jail, and then goes to state prison,
and isn't worse off when he comes out. My
advice to the young man in prison is to
laugh right back at him who attempts to
laugh you out of your good resolutions and
consider him your worst enemy, no matter
what he may give you. If he teaches. or
tries to teach you, evil. he certainly is not
your friend.
l have myself seen great deal OF this
wicked world, and cannot be counted
among the ''spring Chickens" but [ have
certainly heard more evil talked in my less
than two years of prison life than l did in
my twenty six years of liberty.
AS to reforming man who is villain at
heart, l do not think such a thing possible;
but / do think that more than half of the
men in prison are simply victims of circum-
stances, and are not half so bad as the out
side world claim them to be. When man
is once in prison and without friends and
money, there is but one avenue open
to him-he must have the moral courage to
resist any temptation, no matter how strong
it may be. If he cannot do that. he will
forever be an Outcast; but in order to be
successful he must commence in prison,
where the temptations are not so many.
Still, if we can resist what there are there,
we will be much better able to meet those
in the outside world. MCFARLAND.
Sept. IS. 1887.